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steak continues to be one of the western worlds favourite foods.
The less you do to a steak, the better it will taste. Spend your time selecting, trimming and preparing the meat rather than adding things to it. Get a good piece of meat and Don't mess it about by adding sauces etc. to it.
Beef, is graded according the amount of fat interspersed within the muscle tissue. Called "marbling" it appears like the white spots and streaks in marble, the more of this marbling, the better the meat.
What Cut of Meat
only certain parts of the carcass are suitable for grilling. A 420kg. Beef will yield only about 32kg of meat suitable for grilling. Only the little used, large muscles are tender enough for grilling.
Most tender, and with least flavour, is the tenderloin or filet from which come the Filet mignon and Chateaubriand. This cut has little natural fat.
The ribeye, or rib steak, are tender and has more flavour.
The T-bone has a "T" shaped bone hence the name, it has less of the tenderloin, on one side of the bone, and a longer T than the Porterhouse.
When the tenderloin side of a Porterhouse is removed the remainder becomes a Club steak.
When meat remaining on the other side of the T is deboned it become a shell steak, or a strip steak.
Sirloin steaks are larger ,they are tender and very tasty.
Sirloin tip steaks are boneless, less tender but very tasty.
All of the above cuts are tender and delicious, do not cut them less than 25mm thick. It is better to grill one large, thick steak and carve it after cooking than to cut it up before grilling it.
Selecting the Best Steak
The meat should be a consistent bright but light red colour. The white marbling should be distributed through the meat and the flecks and lines should be small and fine.
The meat should be a fine grained not coarse or variable. Steaks that are already cut should already be trimmed except for about 6mm of fat. The fat should be creamy in colour, not grey or yellow. The meat should be moist, but not wet.
Quantities
For adults with normal appetites, allow 280-340g (10-12 oz) each of shop trimmed steaks and 400-450g (14-16 oz) of steak with bone in them. For BIG appetites, give about 20% more. When you get the steaks home store in the 'fridge at about 5C, but remember to let then cum up to normal room temperature before you grill them.
Readying the Grill
Grilling calls for very high temperatures 320C. It will take from 15-30 minutes for the grill to reach proper temperature. Charcoals fire up 30-40 minutes use good quality, hardwood charcoal. When the charcoal is covered with grey ash and glowing. Spread the coals evenly.
Place the steaks carefully upon the grill. Do not touch them. Steaks will let you know when they want to be turned. The grill and steak will stick to each other, and will not let go. At the proper time, they will part easily. Turn them over with a spatula. They will stick again, and separate the second time, they should now be ready for the plate but check they are right for you.
You may test for doneness with your finger. Press firmly into the centre of a steak. Soft is very rare(the French way), barely discernible resistance is rare, definite resistance is medium rare, firming up medium (my way), like a brick well done (the English way).
Thicker Steaks more that than 45mm may require another go on each side. Do not let it burn keep turning them. A thick steak will continue to cook after removed from the heat. Do not over cook.
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